Louisiana News

Louisiana students who successfully complete sequences of coursework in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) may soon be eligible to receive special endorsements on their high school diplomas.

A Lafayette man was sentenced to 30 months in prison for making threats through interstate communications to the Lafayette office of U.S. Representative Clay Higgins.

Winners of the fourteenth annual Friends of Black Bayou photo contest were named on October 6, 2018, with a scenic/professional division photo called “Full Moon Ibis” by local photographer William Watson winning Best of Show.

All photos in the contest were taken at the North Louisiana Refuges Complex, including Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge, D’Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge, Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge and Handy Brake National Wildlife Refuge.

The Louisiana Watershed Initiative will host a statewide listening tour to gather input from data experts, planning officials and local leaders on the state's efforts to reduce flood risk and create more resilient communities. The eight-stop "listening tour" begins Oct. 8 in Lafayette and continues through November.

The Louisiana Department of Health recently released its Voluntary Non-Opioid Directive Form as a new tactic in the fight against opioid abuse.

Louisiana has the highest FAFSA submission rates in the nation according to a new report. That means more students than ever are applying to see what financial aid they qualify for when it comes to post-secondary education. Ed-Tech Senior Consultant Stephanie Marcum says the 84 percent participation rate comes down to a new mandate for graduating high school seniors.

It appears that The board of secondary education has implicated a policy for incoming graduate students that they MUST complete a FAFSA or TOPS application. 

The Louisiana Department of Health recently completed testing water at 12 elementary schools and found no heightened levels of lead in the drinking water. 

The testing was part of a pilot program conducted in accordance with Act 632 of the 2018 State Legislature. The tests were designed to determine if older schools with aging pipes and fixtures had lead present in drinking water. All 12 elementary schools that participated in the pilot program were constructed prior to 1986. 

Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Investigators are currently searching for a missing Ouachita Parish resident.

Sara Nicole Parker, age 26, was last seen at a residence on U. S. Highway 80 in Monroe on September 8, 2018. She is described as a White female, 5’1” tall and weighing 105 lbs.  No further details are available at this time.

Anyone with any information concerning the whereabouts of Sara Nicole Parker is asked to contact the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office at 318-329-1200.

A shooting in south Monroe has left one man injured in the hospital. The incident happened around 7pm lastnight at the Parkview Apartments. The man was shot in leg and was then immediately taken to LSU-Shreveport Hospital.

Monroe Police are seeking information.

The University of Louisiana at Monroe has won a $352,500 grant to study diabetes and obesity.

The grant is funded by the Department of Health and Hospitals and is awarded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases.

Louisiana had the sixth highest rate of obesity and the fourth highest rate of diabetes in the United States in 2017. Researchers at ULM hope to use this funding to improve therapies for treating obesity and diabetes, which will lead to a healthier Louisiana.